At the invitation of the Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa (ULL), the Research Division of the NATO Defense College (NDC) jointly convened an international seminar on 7th March 2013 in cooperation with the ULL’s prestigious Faculty of Human and Social Sciences. The aim of this event was to launch the volume on “African Union-NATO Collaboration: Implications and Prospects”, recently published by the NDC Research Division in conjunction with the Institute for Security Studies.
Since 2005, NATO has provided military and logistic assistance and capacity building support to the African Union. This publication thus provides a timely and essential strategic assessment of the Atlantic Alliance’s role in Africa, and highlights the fundamental importance of the AU-NATO relationship for international peace and security.
Topics addressed ranged from the implications of NATO’s 2011 Libyan intervention, its capacity building for the African Standby Force (ASF), and Atlantic Alliance contributions to counter-piracy efforts in the region. Speakers included: Major General Carlos Branco, NATO Headquarters; Dr. Brooke Smith-Windsor, NATO Defense College Research Division; Professor José Francisco Lynce Zagalo Pavia, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of the Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa; and Dr. M’bala Alfredo Fernandes, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Guinea-Bissau to Portugal. H.E. Mr. Ove Thorsheim, Ambassador of Norway to Portugal, also took the occasion to address the audience given his nation’s role as NATO contact country to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Audience members included Defense Attachés, students of international relations, and candidates preparing for the Portuguese national foreign service examinations. 150 copies of the publication were distributed.
Check the event’s web page at the Lusíada University.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Francesca Blasi, ITA C)
NATO Defense College